The Alternative Factor (episode)
Series: TOS Season: 1 Original Airdate: 1967-03-30 Production Number: 20 Year: 2267 Stardate: 3087.6 Story by: Don Ingalls Directed by: Gerd Oswald Investigating the cause of a massive, galaxy-wide disruption in space, the Enterprise finds a mad scientist who claims that he is being pursued by a hideous being. Summary In standard orbit around an iron-silica type planet (Unnamed planets), the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) prepares to complete its survey, when ... everything within sensor range suddenly "blinks", almost as if the universe is on the verge of ceasing to exist. And, in the wake of this, a man appears on the surface of the planet, where moments earlier there was no life. Beaming down, Captain Kirk, Spock, and the landing party encounter a man. Dirty, and disheveled, he falls from a rock. The landing party returnes to the Enterprise with him, where Kirk learns more news -- the strange phenomena drained the dilithium crystals almost completely. Still worse, Starfleet issues a Code Factor 1 message -- invasion status. The effect experienced by the Enterprise was also experienced everywhere in the galaxy, and far beyond. Starfleet withdraws all nearby ships -- Kirk and Enterprise are the bait. Kirk talks to his "guest" -- a man named Lazarus, who is pursuing a "thing", a monster who destroyed his entire civilization. Beaming down, Kirk learns from Spock that there is no other creature here. Accusing Lazarus of lying, Kirk demands the truth -- and the universe turns inside out. The same "winking" phenomenon occurs again. And Lazarus ... first he has a bandaged forehead, and then he doesn't, and then he does again... Meanwhile, Spock has discovered a source of radiation that is not there -- a "rip" in the universe, where regular physical laws do not apply. The key to locating this source seems to be the dilithium crystals -- a revelation which excites Lazarus, who demands the impossible: that Kirk give him the crystals. Lazarus overpowers two engineering officers and steals two crystals -- and when confronted, denies it, blaming his monster. And the evidence suggests he isn't the thief, for the crystals are not aboard his ship. Back aboard the Enterprise, Kirk confronts Lazarus with his lies, and learns that Lazarus distorted a fact: he is a time traveller. The dead world Enterprise orbits is the distant future of his destroyed homeworld; the place and time he has travelled to in pursuit of the monster. Speculating, Kirk and Spock conclude that the strange energy must come from a source outside the universe. A source in another universe. There are two copies of Lazarus, and they are periodically exchanging places through a kind of door -- and if they ever exist in the same universe at the same time, everything, everywhere, will be annihilated in a cataclysmic matter/anti-matter explosion. Meanwhile, Lazarus starts a fire, and under cover of it, steals two crystals, then beams down. Kirk pursues. As he attempts to enter Lazarus' ship, he vanishes, hurled through the corridor into the other universe. There he meets the other Lazarus, the sane Lazarus, and learns the truth. Anti-Lazarus' people discovered how to pass through the negative magnetic corridor that both connects and protects the two universes. When this happened, Lazarus couldn't bear the knowledge that he had a duplicate, and resolved to destroy his other. He is mad and doesn't care if this causes the death of two universes. Anti-Lazarus and Kirk realize he must be stopped: if Kirk can force Lazarus into the corridor, Anti-Lazarus can hold him there, and Kirk can destroy his ship -- which will also destroy Anti-Lazarus' ship. Access to the corridor will be sealed forever, and both universes will be safe. And two men named Lazarus will be at each others' throats for the remainder of eternity. Notes * Part of the dilithium energizer panel uses the same controls as the neural neutralizer from Dagger of the Mind. * The dome of Lazarus' time ship will later be re-used to encase the Providers in The Gamesters of Triskelion. * Usage of the terms "matter" and "anti-matter" in this episode is inconsistent with its usage elsewhere in the series. For example, Kirk travels to an anti-matter universe, where he should explode, yet he does not. Yet if Lazarus and Anti-Lazarus meet, both universes will be entirely destroyed, which is also inconsistent. Anti-matter, as used in other episodes, is more or less consistent with what physics predicts its properties to be; in this episode, the term is used strangely, and probably incorrectly. * This is the only episode in which the 'Enterprise' is shown firing its phasers from orbit. * The set in which Lazarus works on his ship is not very convincing. From the dusky appearance of the scene before, it looks like the production ran out of daylight at Vasquez Rocks and had to move into the studio to finish up. * John Drew Barrymore was originally contracted to play Lazarus, but didn't show up to work. The grievence filed against him on this account by the "Star Trek" production team led to him being unable to find acting work for a number of years after. * The normally excellent make-up team left some huge inconsistencies with the beard appliance for actor Robert Brown. Sometimes it's a thick goatee, other times it is thinly applied. Quotes :Kirk: You're the beast? The murdering monster? :Anti-Lazarus: Yes, Captain. Or he is. It depends on your point of view. Background Information MISC. NOTES Links and References Main Cast * William Shatner as Kirk * Leonard Nimoy as Spock * DeForest Kelley as McCoy * Nichelle Nichols as Uhura * Eddie Paskey as Leslie Guest Stars * Robert Brown as Lazarus * Janet MacLachlen as Charlene Masters * Richard Derr as Barstow * Christian Patrick as transporter technician * Arch Whiting as engineering assistant * Ron Veto as security guard # 1 * Tom Lupo as security guard # 2 * Vince Calenti as security guard # 3 * William Blackburn as Hadley (security guard # 4) * Larry Riddle as Officer * Al Wyatt as Lazarus' stunt double # 1 * Bill Catching as Lazarus' stunt double # 2 * Gary Coombs as Kirk's stunt double References antimatter; Code Factor 1; dilithium; hydrogen; iron; Komack; negative magnetic corridor; silicon; Starbase 200 Alternative Factor, Thede:Auf Messers Schneide